2019-02-14 by The Michigan Daily

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Thursday, February 14, 2019

Ann Arbor, Michigan

michigandaily.com

GOVERNMENT

Gun control activists reflect on Parkland KEEMYA ESMAEL/Daily Social media personality Demetrius Harmon speaks to fans about what it means to be Black, and how it impacts mental health and self-love in Weiser Hall Wednesday.

Youtube star Demetrius Harmon discusses Black mental health

Internet celebrity talks issues of acknowledging emotional well-being in community MELANIE TAYLOR Daily Staff Reporter

Internet celebrity Demetrius Harmon spoke to an overf lowing auditorium of University students at Weiser Hall regarding mental health in communities of color Wednesday as a part of

NAACP Week and Black History Month. Harmon, known to his fans as Meech, has found fame on Vine, YouTube, Twitter and other social media platforms. He now owns a clothing label that advocates for mental health awareness. Harmon began by discuss-

ing the stigma associated with talking about mental health problems. “That pressure, sometimes it can make diamonds and sometimes it could make you dust,” Harmon said. Harmon focused on how the Black community can place

rigid requirements on its members, making them doubt how they carry themselves and the things they choose to do with their time. Harmon explained that many people put on a facade of strength because they feel it is expected of them. See HARMON, Page 3A

A year after deadly school shooting, students look at impact of advocacy ELIZABETH LAWRENCE Managing News Editor

On Feb. 14, 2018 — one year ago today — a young gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla, leaving 17 people dead. This shooting was not the first of its kind. At this point, the United States had seen a number of other school shootings. And since Parkland, a wave of activism and media attention has gripped the nation as students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas publicly demand stricter gun control. A month after the shooting, thousands of students nationwide walked out of

their schools to protest gun violence. Students in Washtenaw County held a rally hosted by the newly formed Washtenaw Youth Initiative, an activist group of high school students formed in reaction to the Parkland shooting. Zaynab Elkolaly, a senior at Washtenaw Technical Middle College and member of the WYI executive board, ref lected on the reasons the Parkland shooting garnered so much attention. She specifically noted how Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ status as a predominantly white, wealthy school drew more sympathy. See PARKLAND, Page 3A

Forum on carceral state highlights Series looks Residents at imagery impact of mass incarceration in US share FRA GOVERNMENT

of displaced kids’ lives Speaker addresses status of youth in photography of the global refugee crisis SAM SMALL

Daily Staff Reporter

Speaker series talks representation of displaced children Tuesday night at the Benzinger Library in East Quad, around 30 students from the class run by the Residential College, Displaced Children in an Uncertain World, gathered for a discussion run by David Choberka, manager of academic outreach and a teacher at the University of Michigan Museum of Art. The class, run by Residential College lecturer Elizabeth Goodenough, is a half-semester, interdisciplinary mini-course that aims to explore how different types of mediums such as contemporary film, global media, classical literature and autobiographies represent children suffering from displacement, war and family separation. Ultimately, the class aims to encourage students to think about storytelling through both visual and verbal media. Goodenough explained more specifically that the class aims to show how those works of arts influence their understanding of contemporary events and ancient stories. See DISPLACED, Page 3A

ANN ARBOR

Changes to ‘U’’ policy on felony disclosure subject of town hall meeting CHLOE O’NEIL For The Daily

On Wednesday night, spokespeople from the Carceral State Project hosted a town hall discussion for students, faculty and community members to debate the University of Michigan’s recently announced policy, which states that affiliates who are charged or convicted of a felony have to report it within a week. The policy has sparked controversy on campus. The town hall discussion on the change followed a roundtable discussion hosted by the Carceral State Project about the intersection of incarceration in America and everyday life. Adam, a formerly incarcer-

ated individual who declined to provide his last name, spoke during the town hall. A potential candidate for graduate school at the University, he spent three years in prison due to a nonviolent, internet-based sex offense that occurred a decade ago. Since leaving prison, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in social work at another institution, but said he was worried about how the new policy will impact the potential to further his education at the University. “I am fearful about this whole thing in a number of different respects,” Adam said “...Even if I was to get admitted, at the end of the road… would I even be able to get employed? Because thus far, having graduated almost a year

ago, I have not been able to get into my field.” Multiple students and faculty also brought up questions and concerns about how the policy will unfairly target minorities who are already underrepresented at the University. Some attendees said the policy could discourage them even more from applying to study and work here. LSA sophomore Zoey Horowitz, who works with the Prison Creative Arts Project, said the policy would affect not only potential students and faculty, but all people at the University. “We’re not only shutting out a lot of job opportunities, but even for those who have not been affected by the criminal justice system, we are stopping a lot of

learning before it can happen,” Horowitz said. University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald attended the event and defended the University’s policy to The Daily. “The policy speaks for itself,” Fitzgerald said. “There’s an extensive Q & A posted on the HR website to try to bring some clarity to a lot of these questions, we’ve heard many of these questions and tried to respond to them in that way through the context of the policy.” In an email sent to The Daily after the event, Fitzgerald emphasized that the policy did not apply to a person’s previous criminal history.